“A Good Day to Die Hard”, which once again stars Bruce Willis, is about to hit theaters. And while “Live Free or Die Hard” was a financial hit, could this installment be in some big trouble? Normally I’d say no. It’s an iconic franchise whose popularity hasn’t waned. And yet, in the wake of Sylvester Stallone’s “Bullet to the Head” and Arnold Schwarzenegger’s “The Last Stand” both tanking, one has to wonder: Are audiences fed up with aging action stars?

I know that “The Expendables” and “The Expendables 2” were both successful. But even the sequel, though it earned $85 million, was quite a bit off from the first film. And as Arnold and Sly showed, perhaps action stars who are older making quips about their age are just not the way to go these days. The one exception to this rule seems to be Liam Neeson with hits like “Taken”. But if you think about it, Neeson doesn’t bring up his age in any of his films. And we accept him in his role, I think, because we can see him as an experienced person who has acquired a lot of skills through the years.

This leads me to “A Good Day to Die Hard”. Willis is an action star, there’s no question. But bringing in a younger character usually doesn’t work out in a series. And frankly, Willis is getting up there in age, almost to the point where audiences think, really? He can still do all that? It also doesn’t help that the films are essentially live action cartoons these days. At least “Taken” worked as a believable thriller to a degree. After three straight action film bombs, one has to wonder if the new Die Hard film will suffer a similar fate? With younger action stars like Vin Diesel and the Rock and even Channing Tatum to a degree heating up the screen and comic book films still dominating the box office every year, perhaps the old model of a straight up action flick with a big name just doesn’t sell anymore. People don’t want to see forgettable films like that anymore. They want an experience, something big, bold and grand and with actors that people don’t think should be thinking about social security instead of kicking some butt.

The true test of whether audiences are growing tired of this will be with “A Good Day to Die Hard”. If it fails, or shows some significant signs of fatigue, it could be a big sign that audiences want more than just an aging star cracking age jokes and trying to be like they were in their 30s.

“The Expendables 2” added Jean Claude Van Damme, Chuck Norris and others. Now, Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Jet Li and company will be joined by a new cast member, and possibly three more as well. Stallone said Nic Cage is confirmed for the next film. Stallone also said that they are going after Harrison Ford, Wesley Snipes and Mickey Rourke (who played Tool in the first film).

Producer Adi Shankar has cast the first actress in what he describes as the female version of “The Expendables”. Gina Carano, who starred in Steven Soderbergh’s “Haywire” earlier this year has been cast in the film. She will also star along side Vin Diesel, Dwayne Johnson and Paul Walker in “Fast and Furious 6”.

No other names have been announced. But, one has to imagine Jennifer Lawrence (“The Hunger Games”), Milla Jovovich (“Resident Evil”) and Kate Beckinsale (“Total Recall”) have to be at the top of their lists. You’d also have to include Zoe Saldana if I was in charge of the film.

Given that “Expendables 2” opened at No. one at the box office, there’s no surprise talks have started on a threequel, possibly bringing aboard Clint Eastwood and Nic Cage. But, the more interesting news is that producer Adi Shankar (“The Grey”) is looking to do a female version of the film. It’s in the very early stages and no names attached yet. But, think about it. Carrie Ann Moss, Zoe Saldana, Kate Beckinsale, Uma Thurman and Michelle Rodriguez? Sounds pretty kick-ass to me. Who else would you like to see in the movie?

Oh Terry Crews. From “The Expendables” to plans to coming back to “The Newsroom” in season 2 and now you join this? Crews has joined the cast of “Scary Movie 5” which has the … um … “star” studded cast of Ashley Tisdale, Lindsay Lohan and Charlie Sheen. What are you thinking?

When “The Expendables” came out touting Sylvester Stallone, Mickey Rourke, Jason Statham, Jet Li and more, it looked to be a testosterone fueled blast. With its sequel Arnold, Bruce Willis, Jean Claude Van Damme and Chuck Norris entered the fray. Now, the producer of “The Expendables” movies said there’s a few names they want for a possible third film. Those names are Clint Eastwood, Harrison Ford and Nicolas Cage. That would certainly up the ante on the insanity. But, talk about overload.

I thought the first one was ok. There’s somewhat of a novelty factor in the sequel adding in so many aging action stars. But, I don’t know if I’m as pumped for this one as I was before the first one came out.

In some of the worst movie news of the day, with “Fast Six” getting ready to film, Jason Statham (The Transporter) has reportedly said no to joining the film. The two sides could not reach an agreement apparently. That’s a shame. Because Statham, Vin Diesel and the Rock in the same action film? And the chance that they fight each other? Much more enticing than his other all-star action series “The Expendables”.